Ozonation Techniques for Lignocellulosic Biomass Pretreatment

Ozonation has emerged as a versatile oxidative pretreatment strategy designed to overcome the intrinsic recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass by selectively targeting lignin while preserving cellulose and hemicellulose. Ozone, a powerful oxidant, cleaves carbon–carbon double bonds within the aromatic lignin network, leading to depolymerisation and solubilisation of lignin fragments. This process enhances subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis by improving enzyme accessibility to cellulose fibres. Key operational parameters—ozone dose, contact time, moisture content and particle size—govern both the efficiency of lignin removal and the integrity of carbohydrate fractions. Advances in reactor design, from pilot-scale continuous flow systems to fixed-bed reactors with optimised gas–solid contact, have improved ozone utilisation and scalability. Integration of ozonation with complementary methods, such as enzymatic hydrolysis or alkali treatment, further boosts sugar yields and may reduce overall chemical consumption. Economic assessments now consider ozone consumption per unit sugar produced, revealing that judicious control of reaction conditions can render ozonation increasingly competitive within biorefinery contexts. Overall, ozonation offers a green, selective and adaptable route for biomass fractionation with implications across biofuels, biochemicals and material applications.

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Ozonation Techniques for Lignocellulosic Biomass Pretreatment publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ozonation techniques for lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Lignocellulosic biomass: Plant-derived material composed of lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose forming a rigid, recalcitrant matrix.

Ozonation: Oxidative treatment using ozone gas to cleave chemical bonds, particularly in aromatic structures, under mild conditions.

Delignification: The removal or breakdown of lignin from biomass to expose carbohydrate polymers for further processing.

Fixed-bed reactor: A vessel in which solid biomass remains stationary as ozone gas flows through, enabling controlled gas–solid interactions.

Sugar-to-ozone ratio: A metric expressing the mass of fermentable sugars released per mass of ozone consumed, used to evaluate process efficiency.

References

1. Extraction of homogeneous lignin oligomers by ozonation of Miscanthus giganteus and vine shoots in a pilot scale reactor. Bioresource Technology (2024).
2. Integrated Ozonation-Enzymatic Hydrolysis Pretreatment of Sugarcane Bagasse: Enhancement of Sugars Released to Expended Ozone Ratio. Processes (2020).
3. Strategic lignin removal from lignocellulosic matrix of wheat straw using selectivity characteristics of ozone. Journal of the Pakistan Institute of Chemical Engineers (2022).